The Failure of a Prince
by Artemisa
Summary: Why the prince of Mirkwood is send to deliver an errant at Rivendel?
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own them (actually they own me _) but the ones you can't recognize are all mine

Author Notes: English is not my mother language, sorry for the mistakes. 

This is novel based; Tolkien wrote in the book "The Fellowship of the Ring" that Legolas was send to Rivendel to tell that Gollum had escaped but as many people had pointed out, why a prince is send to deliver an errant? So I assumed that being a prince he must had had a contingent of elves under his command and that he and his warriors were the ones taking care of Gollum so it was his fault that he escaped. I also assume that because there wasn't any mention of Legolas' mother or siblings he was an only child (and so heir to the crown) and that his mother is dead. If I'm wrong please tell me.

This is the story from Gollum's escape to the forming of the Fellowship. Of course I have introduced some of my ideas that are not in the book, hope you like it.

PLEASE REVIEW I will really appreciate it. If you are a fanfic writer you know what a review means. So please do it. And if you are not, do it anyway and make a girl really happy.

Prologue

"My lord there are many of them! " Neithar, the second at command shouted to the prince. It was a chaos in the northern part of Mirkwood where the king had sent the creature that Mithrandir and the human ranger had delivered. 

             Considering that the dungeons of the palace weren't appropriate for such a disgusting creature, Thranduil has sent it to the dungeons of Réna in the northern part of his kingdom and left it to the custody of his heir. 

Réna was a very strong construction, as well as beautiful for it was elven made, the dungeons were underground and there was plenty space for a group of twenty elves to live for a while with all the comforts. Not too big nor too small it was located around a group of trees that hide it totally unless you knew that it was there. Usually it wasn't occupied for it was built for prisoners who served the evil, Oropher, Thranduil's father, had build it before the Last Alliance, when the war with Sauron was at its climax; when said war ended, Réna wasn't useful any more and so just two guardians custody it. The spiders, wargs and orcs didn't have notice of it, so it was disturbing that now it was attacked orcs. 

            Legolas shoot three more arrows before turning to look at the other elf, his eyes were a combination of anger and worry.

"And the elves of Réna?" the prince asked putting a stray lock of his blond-silver hair behind his pointy ear

"We haven't had notice of them yet my lord"

"Something is wrong in Réna." Legolas said after killing two orcs with his knifes while Neithar cut one with his sword

"My lord?" Neithar said puzzled but the prince started running to the fortress with much resolution than before. Neithar followed him concerned.

            It take them three hours before they could reach Réna. The orcs were many but the elves soon discovered that they were mountain orcs and fighting in the forest wasn't familiar to them, so despite they were more, they elves were victorious. 

            When Legolas and his twelve warriors entered in the fortress they found it deserted and this just helped to increase the tension and some began to feel nervous.

"Neithar, Keran, Riniath and Orlenwë go to the lowest floors. Meirath, Orlanth and Savere go to the towers, the rest follow me" The prince said having a very bad feeling. He and the other four elves went out to the forest it didn't take long before one of them found orc's track, so they followed it. The tracks guided them deeper in the forest to a big tree well know to everyone.

"It can't be..." Legolas whispered feeling that some hands squeezed his heart. This was the tree were Gollum always climbed when they took him out, and the tracks had lead them right to it, they couldn't heard anything so it was clear that no orcs were left. But what they discovered when they got closer took off his breath. At the trunk of the tree were the mutilated bodies of eight elves.

"My lord..." an elf said horrified but couldn't finish for they heard noises. Everyone tensed and prepared to fight but stopped when they recognized one of their friends badly hurt coming to them.

"Prince Legolas" the elf whispered "Thanks Elbereth you are here, I don't know how much time I have..."

"Don't talk Aowë that will only weaken you" Legolas said running to his friend side and kneeling in front of him he squeezed his hand giving him support

"My prince I'm dying. The Halls of Mandos are calling me, but before I'm gone I need to tell you what happened here" Legolas closed his eyes in pain, for he knew that Aowë's words were right

"I'm listening" he said nodding 

"We took out Gollum as usual, and as usual he went to this tree and climbed it up. But this time he didn't want to go down. The guards didn't want to get him down so they waited under the trunk until late night. Suddenly and out of nowhere the orcs attacked us, they were a lot and although we fought their number superiority was too big for us. I ran to warn the three of us that remained in Réna, but they had heard the chaos and coming to help they were killed. Some of the warriors were taken prisoners, how many I don't know... I'm the only survivor my lord"

Legolas and the elves that were with him listened concerned the events, when Aowë finished Legolas embraced him and whispered soft words to calm him. And in the warn and gentle embrace of his prince, Aowë died.

" Mitah and Avrelh go back to Réna and bring the others, we shall look for Gollum till night if necessary. Elithar and Ombahd take Aowë to the palace where we can bury him." Legolas said standing up with the stoic face a prince had to have in that kind of circumstances. The elves bowed and did what they were told. When Legolas was alone he sighed deeply looking at the blue sky.

TBC...

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	2. Chapter I

DISCLAIMER: They are not mine, you know it.

Author Notes: English is not my mother language, sorry for the mistakes. Thanks a lot to Tonianne for the review!

PLEASE REVIEW I will really appreciate it. If you are a fanfic writer  you know what a review means. So please do it. And if you are not, do it anyway and make a girl really happy.

Chapter I

            Legolas walked through the beautiful corridors of his father's palace, but lost in thoughts he was oblivious to the magnificent well-known surroundings as well as all the elves that bowed when he pass. He was very angry, angry with himself for being so careless with the prisoner; he had left the palace four days ago to see, as he did every day, how his guards were dealing with Gollum, and now he was returning after an exhausting search completely sure that the prisoner in his charge had escaped. And the worst of all was to have to tell the news to his father proving that he had fail. 

            When he reached the doors of the throne hall, the guards bowed and opened the door. He entered with the elegance and royalty for he was known, he could have lost a lot the past days but at least he still had his dignity. 

            The king was talking with few noble elves and Legolas cursed his bad luck, he had hoped that Thranduil was alone, but of course this wasn't exactly the best year of his life. 

"Legolas, you honor us with your presence" Thranduil said and Legolas rolled his eyes. Just what he needed, his father was being sarcastic.

"Father I need to talk to you"

            Raising an eyebrow the king dismissed all the elves whom where there and when everyone had left he told his son to came closer. Legolas breathed deep and taking sit on his place at the right side of the king's throne he stared at the floor finding it suddenly very interesting.

"I'm listening" the king said after a moment of silence

"Father, we had had a problem with Gollum" 

"The creature Mithrandir and Elrond's foster son delivered?" Legolas nodded "What happened?"

"He... he had escaped" 

"WHAT?! Legolas I don't have to tell you what this means, do I?"

"No father, I' m aware of it"

"I leave the custody to you believing that you were capable of this kind of responsibility!" 

"I know" all this time Legolas eyes didn't leave his father's but with the last sentence his shame was too big to look straight to his father's face, so he looked away. Thranduil anger was increasing by seconds and he was to shout about the immaturity of his son when he noticed a red spot on Legolas' sleeve. He grabbed his son's arm and the prince tensed with pain, big blue-gray eyes looked at the king with surprise. 

"What happened?" Thranduil asked now concerned. So Legolas told him everything looking how the rage of his father faded away.

"We followed the tracks but they were getting to deep in the south, far away of the realm and very close to Dol Goldur and I didn't want to loose more elves because of him. I sorry father"

" So you get hurt in the battle. Are you all right?"

"It is nothing, just a scratch." Thranduil nodded and remain silence for a long time. When he spoke again he wasn't angry with his son anymore, but with the circumstances    

"Then I can't blame you entirely for this, but the responsibility was yours and yours alone and so you must face the consequences, that is one of the burden of being in charge and of being a prince" Legolas nodded, he knew. "Because it was Elrond's foster son one of the two more concerned about Gollum, you shall go to Imladris to tell the news."

"So that is my punishment. I have to go with lord Elrond and say that I was incompetent enough to allow Gollum to escape." He said sadly biting his lip. "But I don't deserve anything better, for that is the truth" Thranduil looked at him but said nothing "I will leave immediately"

"Take care" was all the king said looking at his son leaving the hall with a mixture of proud, sadness and worry. Proud because he had accepted the consequences as a true prince  without excuses or denials; sadness because he knew how proud was his son, just like him and worry because the roads weren't safe anymore. 

            Two hours later he looked at the window to see his son leaving alone. He closed his eyes, of course Legolas didn't want anyone near to be witness of his failure.

TBC...

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